Benefits of Attending a Community College

I get asked this often because I attended a community college before I went off to a larger university in town.

After reflecting about my experiences at a community college and speaking with other twenty somethings that followed the same path as me, I came up with a few solid benefits of why a young person should attend a community college:

A Community College is way LESS expensive

Your parents (or whoever is covering your tuition fees) will be extremely happy to find out how much less expensive a community college is.

Obviously the credentials are not the same but every industry is different. When it comes to Photography, Culinary Arts or Digital Arts to name a few, it all depends on your skill level and not the piece of paper you have.

When it comes to your education it is important to you explore all options and if you find that a community college will fit your needs and your budget then by all means pursue this excellent opportunity.

You can figure out what you want to do with your life in community college.

I used my time in college to figure out what I wanted to do. As a 17-year old punk, I definitely wasn’t ready for a full university course load. I wasn’t ready for much to be brutally honest.

There’s less money at stake and you have more options in terms of course offerings because some programs really allow you to deviate from your major. Instead of taking 5 business courses a semester you can squeeze in a course or two from another program/major.

Community College programs are often shorter in duration so even if you complete a two year program straight out of high school you will still have ample time to gain experience in the work force or to go back for more schooling. It’s not as stressful to figure out what to do after college.

Community Colleges offer small classes

Some of my classes contained less than 30 students. The funny thing is that’s less students in a class room than in my high school.

What’s so special about smaller classes you may ask? You’ll never know until you are in one. Some of my community college courses allowed me to have one on one discussion with the professor during the class and at least 75% of my professors knew me by my first name.

At the university I attended, I was student number 0505xxxxx and the rare professor recognized me outside of the classroom.

A Community College will ease your transition into a major University

When I completed high school I wasn’t ready for anything. I had no clue what I wanted to do with the rest of my life nor was I serious about my studies. To make things even worse I completed high school when I was only 17 years old, which isn’t exactly the time in your life where you’re the most mature. I was realistic in the sense that even though I got into a university of my choice I figured I wasn’t ready for it. The first year of college I was still pretty iffy about things but by the final year I knew that I was serious enough to continue my studies at a more challenging level.

Those are the advantages of community college. Hopefully you can focus on paying off debt if you’re uncertain on your next move, but I want you to know that community college is a viable option.

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Comments

Some interesting views on community college. I had many of the same advantages by attending a fairly small college and choosing a small major (I was the only graduate in biochemistry). As a result, I was frequently in classes with half a dozen or fewer students, and one good scholarship enabled me to attend tuition free. Still, had I not gotten such a good deal right out of high school, I’m sure that community college would have been advantageous.

Good points about community colleges. I know that having a degree from a university is a punch on your ticket that people recognize, so it’s important you get there, and if a community college is a stepping stone, then all the better.

Except for a few specialized areas, most of what you learn about the business world is found in the business world, not in school, so getting yourself through college and out into the business world is an important focus. If a community college helps you do that, all the better.

Also, an important point that many prospective employers note is working your way through school. This shows initiative, determination, focus and a can-do attitude. If you have to do this in order to get a higher education that you can afford, then by all means make use of a community college.

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Shouldn’t your 20s be fun?

My name Is Martin and I've been helping readers like you with their money since 2008. I graduated with college debt-free and have been traveling/enjoying my 20s ever since.

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